Emerald Isle Woods NC - Trails & Kayak Launch

12/11/2016

Hiking at the Emerald Isle Woods trail in North Carolina

The Emerald Isle Woods kayak launch and dock are currently closed due to damage by hurricane Florence.

Come celebrate the freezing and/or hibernation of Eastern North Carolina's mass mosquito mob! This week on ETC we're highlighting a few local hiking trails on the water. With the bugs away we head to Emerald Isle - a stretch of sandy beach along the NC Atlantic coast east of New Bern and Jacksonville.

Emerald Isle is our local beach. While it's mostly residential with large beach house rentals, there are a few public areas like this one to hike and launch a kayak. Emerald Isle Woods park is close to the bridge onto Emerald Isle and has plenty of parking near the entrance (and some further in). Several short trails crisscross the woods, many leading to a small fishing pier and kayak launch.

The kayak launch at Emerald Isle Woods in North Carolina

The kayak launch sits in view of the mainland bridge and offers great paddling in the Bogue Sound. It's a little bit of a walk from the parking lot to the kayak launch and you may want to pull closer to drop off your gear before you park. We are thankful to have our Innova kayaks when we launch from this site - they're easy to carry in a pack to and from the car.
Emerald Isle Woods is a great place to launch paddling trips heading towards Bear Island and the end of Emerald Isle, along with trips to Swansboro. Currents and wind will have a huge impact on paddling from this spot, as the Bogue Inlet is right around the corner, bringing water from the ocean in and out of the Bogue Sound. Also, the amount of gear you have could be a challenge as the kayak launch isn't right next to the parking lot. That said, the floating kayak launch with rollers (pictured above) is the best and the park is very accessible when you arrive on the island and need a quick hike or paddle.

~Paul & Amber ETC

6 Comments

Heidi

11/17/2017 02:35:36 am

We are originally from California, now raising three teenage boys in Ohio, and just bought a vacation home on Emerald Isle. We are taking our kayaks to our new home, just about a mile from EI Woods. Super excited about the kayak launch there. Do you know how long/difficult the paddle is to Bear Island from EI Woods? Wondering about the current and boat traffic. Love your blog! Thanks!!!

Paul link

11/17/2017 04:05:30 am

Heidi,
Sounds like an adventure! Your instincts are right, the current/wind can be an issue paddling from E.I. Woods to Bear Island. If it's not low tide, it's a great paddle out towards the end of the island (not all the way to Bear). Staying closer to shore will keep you out of the heavier boat traffic. There are lots of kayak fisherman in these parts, so the boaters are pretty respectful.

The tricky part is the inlet between the end of Emerald Isle and Bear Island - water pours in there at ebb and flow - it's best to paddle inland to avoid.

To be honest though, the end of Emerald Isle in that direction is amazing - we call it the 'Coast Guard Beach'. It's an expansive sand spit that's tons of fun - it's the wildest part of the island - it feels like a state park. Paddling from the woods and stopping there will be a blast. Wind and current can always be a factor here for paddlers, the hard part is they don't have (that I'm aware of) current charts like they do in places on the West Coast. We go the old school way of checking the tides and looking at the seagrass flowing in the water when we set off.

Our next post is on Bear Island! I've been working on it for the past few weeks. We spent a lot of time there this summer via their passenger ferry and by kayak several times. It will probably be posted this weekend.

Thanks for the comment and keep asking questions as you get settled!!!!!

Paul
ETC
www.facebook.com/EveryonesTravelClub

Barb Walley

5/26/2019 08:57:20 am

After the long hike carrying a kayak we discovered the launch was not there any longer. Wish it had been posted somewhere

5/26/2019 09:36:16 am

Barb, I’m so sorry!!! That trail is a beast too! I’ll update this post later today when I’m home. Was the floating dock still there but no kayak launch? Or both gone?

Paul
ETC

Josh

9/26/2020 04:00:29 am

Kayak anglers with a true fishing kayak (native, hobie, old town, ect) don’t bother. This launch was not made for larger fishing kayaks. The trail to get to the launch has a few 90 degree turns so it takes some negotiating. Then when you finally arrive at the launch the final ramp is to narrow for a fishing kayak.

I attempted to use the ramp recently and like so many kayak anglers we usually fish alone so I had no assistance to possibly flip my kayak on the side and carry it down the narrow ramp. If you come with multiple people it’s doable. Clearly not designed for all kayakers.

Tile Contractors Medford link

5/8/2024 10:01:27 am

Great read thaanks

Emerald Isle Woods NC - Trails & Kayak Launch

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